Ingenious Child Climbed In Claw Machine And Handed Out Toys, Witness Says

A little boy achieved Hero Status by climbing into a claw machine at a pizza restaurant and handing out toys. The alleged incident occurred Tuesday night at John's Incredible Pizza Co. in Victorville. Alyssa Billotti was one witness to the heist, managing to take a photo with her phone that supposedly depicts the act, CBS Los Angeles reports.

She said the boy, who she estimated to be about 8 years old, was grabbing toys and passing them to children who had gathered outside the machine. She said that instead of demanding the boy get out of that claw machine right now, young man, the other adults cheered his behavior and in fact, let him go inside a second time.

"I just thought he shouldn't be in there, I don't know," she told CBS L.A. "I just thought his parents would be the ones to say, 'Get out of there,' you would think."

The second trip was perhaps the child's undoing, as he fell prey to the fatal flaw of hubris. The manager of the pizza parlor noticed children running around with armfuls of toys and caught the boy "red-handed, handing out stuffed animals," Billotti said.

She said the manager ultimately made the children return the toys they'd pilfered.

Sure, maybe you shouldn't let your kid climb in a claw machine. Maybe you should tell them they must insert quarters until their skill level is advanced enough to score a cheaply, probably inequitably, manufactured toy from an intentionally rigged machine designed to raise hopes only to let them slip through its frustratingly loose grip. That's basically life, I guess. Or maybe, just maybe, this kid is a true hero, gaming a system that's long been gaming him and his prepubescent friends. You decide!